As the title says, the usual blowout is coming on the 3rd: ten chapters' worth of content in five double-length chapters, maybe six.
I haven't disappeared!!!!
I expect this book to run well over three million words.
Sorry updates have been slow lately!
There are two reasons: I've been sick, and I wasn't entirely happy with how the last planet's story ended.
The hive section still felt like it was missing something. It wasn't as grand or satisfying as I'd imagined.
So I've been reviewing my outline and my own writing lately, and I haven't dared to write too fast.
The book has now passed 1.2 million words. As everyone knows, the million-word mark is a hurdle; plenty of books start declining in quality after that.
These past few days, I've been looking at my recent problems. The first is my enthusiasm for writing.
It isn't as intense as when I first started the book, but I still enjoy the writing process. It hasn't felt like a chore at all.
Second, have the outline and the direction of the story fallen apart?
I don't think so. The style and tone haven't changed, but too many characters have appeared, and I've been afraid to slow the pace. As a result, some of the setup and characterization have been too one-dimensional.
Lately, I've been thinking about how to fix or at least improve that.
Characterization has always been a weakness of mine.
I've been thinking about how to establish a character in as little space as possible.
Those two issues, along with working out the detailed outline for the story ahead, are why updates have been slow lately.
As for the update schedule, daily updates at 7:30 will resume tomorrow!
I can't slack off. I need to be disciplined.
Updates will be